He gradually comes back to himself, letting out a long breath. He sees Sam sitting next to him on the stairs, wagging his tail. He looks at the dog, then up at you. He points to the stairs. He stands and starts up them. He stops after a few steps. He turns to look down at you, still sitting on the bottom step.

"You can stay down there if you want, it's okay." He looks into your eyes. He can't figure out why you're sitting on the steps, staring at him confused.

"I like it down here. It's nice. I want to know what you're thinking about. Why are you staring at me like that?" He continues on the stairs. You climb up them, and you walk to the end of the hall. You turn around, and he is standing there.

"Thanks." He shrugs. "I'm Josh, by the way. What's your name, silly girl?" You just stand staring at him, and he laughs.

"You were doing that weird thing again, where you read my mind." He looks around. "I don't see your dog." You just shrug. "I hope he's okay." He looks at you.

"I'm Natasha, by the way." You walk into the spare bedroom. You can hear Josh changing clothes.

"Do you have a cell phone or something, Natasha?" He sits on your bed. He's still standing. He looks at the walls. "You paint all of those walls?" You look at your walls. They're not clear, you can tell, but they're not all messed up. Just paintings of alleyways and tunnels and the moon.

"Have a seat," you tell him. He sits on the edge of the bed, and you sit beside him.

"What kind of dog is Sam?" He looks up at the paintings on your wall. He leans against the headboard, and you don't say anything.

"I haven't seen him in a while. He was climbing in my window at first, but I think he's learned to avoid me by now."

"Have you always been like this?" He looks at you and stands up.

"It's not weird. I just get distracted or something." You get up. "It doesn't matter though, because you don't care." He looks at you.

"You really care about Sam. He's pretty head strong. I think he really likes it here." He looks at the wall of paintings. "But he doesn't hang out with me."

"Don't you have a house key or something?" He shakes his head. "I should go." He smiles and walks out the front door.

You watch the door, and you think about how he was waiting for you to decide how you would react to him. You grill the spare key on all the locks he could possibly use. You think he's odd, but you don't exactly mind him. He lets you be. It hasn't been long, so it could be a bad move. In the morning, though, you look out the window. Sam is lying in the grass, watching you.

"He's going to be fine," Josh says, holding your arm as you walk out the door. You laugh, and he closes the front door. He walks you to the stairs. "I'll see you." He stands up on the stairs and starts walking away.

"Bye." You turn and walk the opposite direction. You turn around to look, and he is still standing there, watching you. You think it's cute. You walk up the stairs to your door, and Sam is there, by the door. You bend down to pet him. Josh's at the top of the stairs, and he sees you. His face lights up. He looks down and then back at Sam.

"What is that, a collie? He's huge." You nod. "Will he bite me?" You laugh.

"No." He smiles and sits on your steps. "He doesn't bite." Sam looks up at Josh, and he cowers back down, hiding under your bed. "He's a little shy." Josh shakes his head. "Are all your paintings like that? Where do you get paint to make so many walls? And why the tunnel paintings?"

"Those were my brother's. I like it here though."

"Your brother has a house? I've never seen it. Why is it empty?"

"I don't know. We used to have a cat. I'm not sure if he got out or stayed, I don't know."

"I have a cat." He holds up a piece of paper. "His name is Winston. He's black and white. Do you know a place like this?"

"Yes, I've been there." You think a moment. "His name is Sam. He's black and white, too. If you want to know where I live, my name is Natasha." He just looks confused. You read his mind again. He guesses Sam's name. "Is that okay?" He nods. "You see, I don't know your name. I think it'd be nice if we could be friends. Even if we end up not liking each other, I'm okay with that." He looks at Sam behind you. "I think Sam likes you." He looks at you, and you laugh. "I'm sure you have friends you can call, or something like that."

"But you're nice. I like being around you." You laugh. "Is your sister here? I saw her upstairs a couple of times." He looks down. You know the thought process. She's not here. You think about calling your mom or your sister or a friend. You hate that feeling.

"Make up your mind, Josh. Come on, you're wasting time." You grab his hand and pull him up the stairs. You take Sam back to your room on the bottom floor. You tell the dog to sit. He looks down at you, confused. He doesn't know what to think. Josh is standing behind you. The dog looks at him, and he looks away.

"I would help you find your sister. If she's missing, I would help you find her." He looks around the room. "Can I see the rest of the house?"

"It's just this floor and the basement really. The basement has a large unfinished portion, but technically you're not allowed down there. A lot of the plumbing is messed up, and the water heater and furnace are down there." You take him to the bathroom, and he looks inside. He looks at Sam and smiles at you. You turn on the water, and you hold your hand under the water. It's cool.

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